The air quality of the federal capital remained healthy for three consecutive days amid a strong spell of rain that has lashed the region since Sunday, bringing relief to the people as the ambience had remained unhealthy for people with allergies due to dry weather.
The recent air quality data by Pakistan Environmental Protection Agency (Pak-EPA) reported a record decline in hazardous pollutant tainting the atmosphere below permissible limits, an EPA official said on Wednesday.
The Pak-EPA daily air quality report recorded particulate matter of less than 2.5 microns (PM2.5) nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulphur dioxide (SO2), temperature and humidity in the air.
The pollutant PM 2.5 is responsible for causing premature deaths, chronic respiratory diseases and other health complications globally, the official maintained. It is the most health-damaging environmental pollutant causing chronic respiratory diseases and premature deaths as it could easily penetrate human blood through lungs cells, they added.
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They said sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide were released from industrial emissions and car engines at different concentrations that accumulated into the ambience, causing air pollution.
The report said the 24 hours average concentrations of parameters namely NO2, SO2 and concentration of PM2.5 were within the permissible limits of National Environmental Quality Standards (NEQS).
The pollutants' 24 hours average ratio of PM2.5 was below the World Health Organisation environmental quality standards of 25 microgrammes per cubic meter. PM2.5 was recorded at 10.04 micrograms per cubic metre in Islamabad, which is much lower than the NEQS of 35 micrograms and the WHO’s standard of 25 micrograms per cubic metre. The air quality data revealed the presence of 15.6 micrograms of sulphur dioxide and 10.6 micrograms of nitrogen dioxide per cubic metre against the NEQS of 120 micrograms and 80 micrograms per cubic metre, respectively.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 25th, 2021.
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